Fri 12:45 PM EDT update – Hurricane Matthew is moving north-northwest along the Florida coast with a turn to the north, then north-northeast expected later today. Going into tomorrow, the forecast models show Matthew paralleling the South Carolina coast. Recent forecast models, and they have continue to be consistent, do show Matthew turning away from the Atlantic coast tomorrow and continuing east into Monday. Additional recurvature towards the Bahamas, though as a weaker system is forecast for the first part of next week.
This hurricane has winds of 120 mph, gusting to 150 mph. As Matthew encounters increased vertical wind shear and interact with the land, slow weakening is expected through the remainder of the storm’s life cycle.
This forecast track is bringing moderate to heavy rains to Charlotte Motor Speedway and is forecast to continue into Saturday. However, Saturday is looking fairly promising for the Sprint Cup night race at CMS. The rain is forecast to continue through late afternoon Saturday. Track drying could delay the start of the race and stray showers may continue. This situation will be monitored into the weekend.
For the United States, the following watches/warnings are in effect:
Hurricane Warnings are in effect for north of Cocoa Beach, FL to Surf City, NC
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for north of Surf City, NC to Duck, NC.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the following areas of Florida: Sebastian Inlet to Cocoa Beach, FL, north of Surf City to Duck, and Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.
For more information and updates, follow me on Twitter (@RaceWeather) and also on Facebook.
